The Occupy Wall Street protests have inspired activists across the United States and overseas, but many see the roots of the occupation in the public squares of Cairo, Athens and Madrid. On Monday, we spoke to one Spanish protester who traveled from Madrid to New York City to support the budding movement. "I came here just for this, because we started our movement four months ago, on 15 of May," Monica Lopez said. "I decided to...

Over the past 24 days, New Yorkers of all walks of life have taken part in the Occupy Wall Street protest near Manhattan’s Financial District. On Monday, we caught up with a trader walking through the protest encampment. "I like the fact that everybody is organizing from a grassroots level. And, you know, I think that the people that have had all the power need to even it out a bit and let these people speak their voice," said...

In 1968, Olympic medal winner John Carlos became an international icon when he and Tommie Smith raised their fists in the Black Power salute during the national anthem at the Olympic prize ceremony as a protest against racism in the United States. The photo of the men has become one of the most iconic images of our time. Carlos has just published a new memoir with assistance from sportswriter Dave Zirin. The two spoke to a crowd at Occupy Wall...

As the "Occupy" movement expands from the "Occupy Wall Street" protest in New York City throughout the United States, we look at its historical significance. "This is an incredibly significant moment in U.S. history," says Dorian Warren of Columbia University. "It might be a turning point, because this is the first time we’ve seen an emergence of a populist movement on the left since the 1930s." We...

Protests inspired by the "Occupy Wall Street" encampment in New York City continued to expand this weekend with protests taking place in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, San Francisco and Oakland, among others. Many of the protests have led to arrests. After about 500 protesters gathered during the day in front of the Iowa Statehouse in Des Moines, renaming the capitol complex "People’s Park,"...

In part two of our conversation with journalist and author Naomi Klein, she discusses how her book, "The Shock Doctrine," focuses in part on Chile, where the 1973 coup led to the privatization of education and now Chilean students are protesting in the streets. Klein talks about their demands and dismisses the critique that the related Occupy Wall Street movement lacks its own clear set of demands. [includes rush transcript]

Labor unions and students joined the growing Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City on Wednesday in the largest march since the protest began 20 days ago. Tens of thousands marched from Foley Square to Zuccotti Park, renamed "Liberty Plaza," the site of the protest encampment where hundreds have been sleeping since Sept. 17. The march was peaceful, but police later beat a handful of protesters with batons after they toppled a...

The Occupy Wall Street march was endorsed by a coalition of labor groups including the Transport Workers Union, National Nurses United, SEIU 1199, and the United Federation of Teachers. We hear the voices of union leaders addressing the boisterous crowd at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan before the march headed to the Financial District. [includes rush transcript]

The hip-hop brother duo Rebel Diaz attended the Occupy Wall Street march in Lower Manhattan yesterday and stopped to tell Democracy Now! why they came down from the South Bronx to join thousands of others demanding change. As they walked along Broadway toward Zuccotti Park, the heart of the protest encampment, they performed a song written about the Occupy movement spreading across the United States. It’s called "We the 99...

People of all ages and backgrounds were on hand for Wednesday’s Occupy Wall Street march that drew tens of thousands into the streets in downtown New York City. Democracy Now!’s Amy Goodman reports from the street to bring you some of their voices. [includes rush transcript]